Networks and Economic Integration : A Case of Refugees in Rural Sweden

Abstract: The thesis examines the economic integration process of refugees in rural Sweden, and its relation to geographical mobility. The mechanisms behind the integration process are explored through the concepts of networks, social bridge, and scalar. It is concluded that having a function that plays the role of a social bridge within networks positively affect the economic integration process for refugees. Factors that provide fundamental conditions for the function of a social bridge is identified to be cultural understanding and trustworthiness. The thesis highlights the spatial aspects of the case study area by considering networks between different scalar of global, national, and local. Through analyzing the positioning of the locality, relations are found with characteristics of refugees coming to the place. Those refugees mismatch with the local labor demand, yet they have positive impacts on the location in terms of a demographic aspect and internationalization opportunities. Under this condition, a social bridge is understood to be vital for overcoming the gap between the labor demands and a welcoming attitude toward refugees. As social bridge fosters interactions between refugees and society, it also has a positive effect on refugees’ mobility and attitude toward a place. Interaction opportunities provide a base for a new identity formation for refugees, which is essential to generate a sense of home. Feeling the place to be one’s home contributes to refugees staying. A critical realistic approach has been chosen as the way of studying integration process. By means of statistical data, employment patterns are explored in this area. A semistructured interview study was used to analyze the networks in depth.